Power-transmission mechanism.



M. L. SEVERY.

' POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED, DEC. 18. 1912.

1,173,877. Patented Feb. 29,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITHE255 I K/EHTEJ 5%(QW Y m 25/ M. L. SEVERY.

' POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-18. I9l2.

. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' dlesexv and State of 5: TED sTArns PATE OFFICE.

MELVIN L. SEVERY, 0F ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOSEVEBY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

MASSACHUSETTS.

CORPORATION OF Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed December 18, 1912. Serial No. 737,393.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MELVIN L. SEVERY, ofArlington Heights in the county of Mid- Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Power-Transmission Mechanism, ofwhich the followingis a specification.

This 'invention'relates to power transmission mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means fortransmitting power, comprising a driving mechanism, a driven mechanism,and an interposed medium for transmitting the power from the former tothe latter, the relations of said mechanisms with respect to one anotherand to said medium being varied to regulate the amount of powertransmitted.

The interposed medium may be a fluid, a more or less finely dividedsolid, or a mixture of the two. In the present embodiment of theinvention I preferably employ a solid in divided spherical form, such asballs of steel or the like, and a lubricating fluid such as oilorglycerin, the fluid being for the.

reducing their noise, and for lubrication and.

diminution of wear. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention thedriving member comprises a rotary drum having interior longitudinal ribsto prevent slippage of the balls, and a driven member wh ch comprises adrum having a pair of paddles which are adjustable simultaneously tovary the extent of their engagement with the rotating stream of thetransmitting medium.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a central longitudinal,vertical section of an illustratlve embodiment of my invention, and Fig.2 is a transverse vertical section of the same in motion.

As illustrated in said drawings, the driving member comprises a drum 10,having a cylindrical wall 12 and interiorly fiatend walls 14 and 15. Theend .wall 14 is preferably cast integral with the cylindrical wall 12,and is provided on its exterior with a conical ring 16 of a frictionclutch, and the end wall 15 is preferably bolted to said cylindricalwall. The internal periphery of the shell 12 is provided withlongitudinally extending ribs 18, which prevent slippage of thetransmitting medium, to 'be herein after described. The end wall 15 isprovided with an outwardly projecting boss 20 into which a driving shaft21- is stationarily keyed, and a driven shaft 22 is slidably androtatably fitted.

The driven member comprises a drum 30 having a cylindrical Wall 31 andinteriorly fiat end walls 32 and 34. The end wall 32 is preferably castintegrally with the cylindrical wall 31, and the end wall 34 ispreferably screwed into .said cylindrical wall. The end wall 34 is keyedto the driven'shaft 22 so as to enable said shaft to slide through itand yet be rotatedby the driven drum 30. The wall 31 is provided with aseries of openings 33 which are covered by screens 35 to admit lubricantinto the drum 30 but to prevent solid particles from entering.

The transmitting medium is preferably composed of a mixture of smallsteel balls 38 and a lubricant 40, such as oil or glycerin, only aportion of which is shown. The lubricant may be any suitable fluid. Whenthe driving drum is rotated the steel balls are thrown outwardly bycentrifugal force against the inner periphery of said drum,

and are prevented from slipping along said periphery by the ribs 18. Theballs 38 will thus form an outer annulus having its interstices filledwith the lubricant 40, and said lubricant will form an inner annulusbetween said balls and the outer periphery of the shell 31. The amountof fluid should be such as to immerse the balls and fill the intersticesbetween them.

In order to bring the driven member into driving relation with thetransmitting medium, I provide said member with a plurality ofoppositely disposed adjustable medium-engaging members. As here shownthey comprise apair of paddles 42, 44 each having a pair of laterallyextending arms 45, 46, which pass through slots 48 formed in thecylindrical wall 31, and slide in guide blocks 49 secured to the endwalls 32 and 34. The paddles are sharpened on their outer and inneredges tofacilitate their cutting through the mass'of balls. Althoughonly two paddles are shown, it will be understood that any number maybeemployed. The action of the paddles upon the balls 38 is similar tothat of a lathe tool turning off the under side of the paddles in acourse thus connected to rotate together.

which is approximately tangential v to the said under side of saidpaddles. The arms 45, 46 are provided near their inner ends with gearracks 50, which mesh with gears 52 on or integral with a sleeve 54slidable on the shaft 22, said gearsAbeing pair of collars 56 areprovided on the shaft 22 between the gears 52 and the inner opposingfaces of the end walls 32 and 34, to prevent endwise motion of.\ saidgears and the sleeve 54.

In order to rotate the gears 52, the sleeve 54 is provided with a spiralslot 58 which receives a pin 60 projecting from the shaft 22 preferablyon .both sides thereof. When the shaft 22 is moved longitudinally thesleeve 54 is given a partial rotation and with it the gears 52 arepartially rotated. The rotation of said gears causes the movement of thearms 45, 46 and with them the paddles 42 and 44 to vary the extent ofengagement of said paddles with the transmitting medium.

Pinned to the shaft 22 is an outer clutchmember 62 which is adapted toengage the clutch-member 16 when the paddles are enaged with thetransmitting medium to the fullest extent. When the device in not beingrotated the balls 38 all settle to the bottom of the outer drum, butare. prevented from en tering the drum 30 by the screens 35.

When it is necessary. to have quiet, the paddles may be shod in rawhide43 on their striking faces, and the whole device inclosed in a sounddamping casing. The oil, however, when a high rate of speed prevents theballs from falling by gravity, serves to stop most of the noise. Wheredesired other surfaces, such as the-ribbed interior of the drum maylikewise .be cushioned with rawhide 47, although this will ordinarilynot be necessary. The device may be run either in a vertical or ahorizontal plane.

It is particularly to be noted that under the embodiment of my inventionhere illustrated, the driving member is the outer drum 10, keyed orotherwise made fast to the power or motor shaft 21, while the drivenmember is the inner drum 30 and its shaft 22. With the means of couplingor connecting the inner and outer drums here shown and described, theinner drum can never make more than the same number ofrevolutions perminute than the outer or driving drum makes, and will usually if notinvariably, make fewer turns because of the slip or mo ement of theballs or other loose bodies upon and among themselves. The outer drumbeing materially larger than the inner one, will of course rotate withgreater velocity or peripheral speed, and the the connecting media willbe thrown outward by centrifugal force, and pressed against the surfaceof the drum in position to act upon the paddles or blades 44, if thesebe projected sufficiently to enter or engage such moving annular mass.If, on the other hand, the inner drum were the driving member, it isobvious that the driving media would tend naturally to occupy the lowerside of the outer drum, and would not take on the annular form unless oruntil, and after a considerable time, the outer drum should attain,through the relatively ineflicient connection which such arrangementwould establish, a speed, and the media acquire a centrifugal force,sufficient to cause the annular arrangement of such driving media.

The distinction is an important one, because so long as the power shafthas its proper speed of rotation, there is always present arelativelycompact body of the small solid particles (balls or the like),and liquid, into which the blades or paddles may be projected toWhatever depth is necessary to insure the desired degree of engagementor driving effect. If the blades or paddles enter but slightly into therelatively compact mass of balls or loose bodies, there will be aconsiderable di fference in the number of turns made by the driving anddriven members, because only the relatively light annular body or layerof balls from the outer edge of the blades or paddles inward, will bearagainst or be engaged by said paddles, and the momentum of only thatrelatively thin layer will be applied as driving force to the blades orpaddles. Whenever, therefore, the resistance of the driven memberincreases to a point exceeding the momentum of such layer and thefriction between such layer and the outer mass, the blades will scrapeoff and drop inward the balls or particles with which they come incontact, the balls or bodies so removed dropping to and being picked upby a lower portion of the driving drum, and re-arranging themselves asbefore. There will hence be a considerable slip or difference in angularmovement between the driving and driven members.

If the blades be forced more deeply into the connecting media, a greaterbody thereof will bear against the blades, and by its greater momentumcarry them and the drum in which they are mounted, forward with reducedslip, until a point is reached where the balls are practically unable topass between the blades or paddles and the outer drum, when the innerand outer drums will turn as one, or practically so. Under all except anextreme outward adjustment of the blades or paddles, there will be spacesufficient for at least one layer of the balls or loose bodies to passbetween the outer edges of. the blades or paddles and the inner edges ofthe ribs of the driving drum, and hence a slip or lost motion will bepossible under all save such extreme adjustment.

It will be noted that there is no contraction of the space in which theballs or other free bodies are held, and that the varying drivingconnection and varying slip are directly controlled by and proportionateto the depth to which the blades or paddles penetrate the annular massof loose balls or bodies. It is hence possible at any moment to changethe'driving connection and the speed relation to any extent desired, and

without delay.

What I claim is 1. A power transmission mechanism com- 7 rising an outerrotary driving member; an lnner rotary driven member; a transmittingmedium composed of free, finely divided solid material between the innerand outer members, and serving when the outer member is rotated toarrange itself in an annular layer or body upon or against the innersurface of the driving member; and means carried by the driven memberfor engaging said transmitting medium.

2. A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer rotary drivingmember; a transmitting medium composed of small solid spheres placedwithin said driving member; and an inner driven member concentric withthe driving member, and provided with means for engaging thetransmitting medium as the latter is carried forward by the drivingmember.

3. A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer rotary drivingmember; an inner rotary driven member; a transmitting medium containedin the space between the inner and outer members, and composed of smallsolid spheres mixed with a lubricant; and means carried by the drivenmember for engaging the transmitting medium as the same is carriedforward by the driving member.

4. A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer rotary drivingmember having its inner surface ribbed or corrugated in the generaldirection of its axis; an inner driven member; a transmitting mediumcomposed of a multiplicity of small solids contained in the spacebetween the driving and driven members; and means carried by the drivenmember for engaging said transmitting medium to impart mo tion to saiddriven member.

5. A pOWer transmission mechanism com prising an 'outer rotary drivingmember having a ribbed inner surface; an inner bricant, contained in thespace between the driving and driven members; and oppositely-disposedblades or paddles carried by the driven member for engaging thetransmitting medium and efi'ectlng a driving connection or relationbetween the same and the driving member. I

6. A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer rotary drivingmember having a ribbed inner surface; an inner driven member; a.transmitting medium composed of small solid spheres and a lubricant,containedin the space between the driving and driven members; andadjust-v able oppositely-disposed blades or paddles carried by thedriven member, for engaging the transmitting medium and effecting avariable driving connection or relation between the same and the drivinmember.

7. A power transmission mec anism, comprising a rotary. driving member,a tgansmitting medium composed of small steel balls and a liquidarranged to be rotated by said member, a driven member having a pair ofoppositely disposed movably mounted paddles adapted to engage saidmedium, and means for regulating the movements of said paddles to varythe amount of power transmitted.

8. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member,-a transmitting medium composed of small steel balls and a liquidarranged to be rotated by said member, a driven member having a pair ofoppositely disposed movably mounted paddles ada ted to engage saidmedium, means for regu ating the movements of said paddles to vary theamountof power transmitted, and means for clutching said memberstogether when said paddles are in fullest engagement with said balls.

9. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member, atransmitting medium composed of a finely divided solid and a liquidarranged to be rotated by said member so that the solid particles assumethe form of an outerannulus and the liquid fills the interstices betweenthe particles and forms an inner annulus, and a rotary driven memberhaving means for engaging said medium to rotate said driven member. v

10. A power transmission .mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member,a rotary driven member, a transmitting medium interposed between saidmembers, a pair of paddles on said driven member adapted to engage saidmedium, a longitudinally movable shaft, and means comprising gearscooperating with said shaft and paddles whereby the movements of thelatter are -controlled.

11. A power transmission mechanism comprising two concentric drums, onewithin the other and constituting driving and driven members, the outerdrum being furnished the spaces between the inwardly-projecting suchdiameter as to permit them under normal adjustment of the parts, to passthrough ribs of the outer member and the blades or paddles of the innermember.

12. A power transmission mechanism comprising two concentric drums, onewithin the other and constitutin driving and driven members, the outerrum being furnished ,with inwardly-projecting ribs, and the inner drumprovided with outwardly-projecting blades or paddles; and a transmittingmedium contained within the space between the inner and outer drums,comprising a lubricant and a mass of small spheres or bodies freelymovable among themselves and in the-space between the said members, thebodies being of such diameter as to permit them under normal adjustmentof the parts, to pass through the spaces between the inwardly-projectingribs of the outer member find the blades orpaddles of the inner mem- 13.A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer drum; an inner drumconcentric with the outer drum; a transmitting medium formed of small,freely movable particles contained within the space between the outerand inner drums,and adapted when the outer drum attains a predeterminedspeed to arrange itself in the-form of an annular layer or body againstthe inner surface of said drum; and a blade or paddle carried by theinner drum and projecting into said transmitting medium, and servingthereby to establish a driving con-- nection between the outer and innerdrums.

14. A power transmission mechanism comprising an outer drum; an innerdrum concentric with the outer drum; a transmitting medium formed ofsmall, freely movable particles contained within the space between theouter and inner drums, and adapted when the outer drum attains apredetermined speed to arrange itself in the form of an annular layer orbody against the inner surface of said drum; ablade or paddle carried bythe inner drum and adapted to be projected to greater or less extentinto said transmitting medium, and thereby to establish a drivingconnection between theouter and inner drums; and means, substantially asdescribed, for adjusting the blade to project its outer edge more orless deeply into the annular layer of movable particles.

' In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

MELVIN LIsEvERY.

Witnesses: v v EDWARD S. Onocxa'r'r, WILLIAM J. SPERL. I

